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Life in plastic? Not fantastic: An evaluation of Chicago River and Lake Michigan plastic contamination including polystyrene, and common plasticizers | Poster Board #905

Date
March 26, 2025

Microplastics, first defined in 2004 are established environmental contaminants. Five trillion ‘pieces’ –about 269,000 MT of which 350,000 MT microplastics have contaminated the ocean. Plastic is carried into oceans from air usually as fibers and from inland rivers, from beaches and ocean activities like commercial fishing. Once in the ocean, surface currents transport plastics as far as the north or south poles, and to the depths via thermohaline currents. As a result, there are also five very large garbage patches in the five ocean gyers. The mechanism causing degradation of plastics to microplastics have been studied. Turbulence, collisions, and UV degradation breaks larger, single use particles into microplastics which are defined as <5mm particles. As the particles of plastic break down, they can release toxic plasticizers into their surroundings like BPA or BPS. The complex ecosystems and sediment composition would make filtering the plastic out through conventional reverse osmosis means challenging. New studies are revealing the negative impact on aquatic life and humans. While the city of Chicago, IL has taken some active policy measures to address the consumer level impact of microplastics on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, the plastics which eventually flow into the oceans, continue to cause detrimental effects. Methods for micro and nanoplastic debris removal and contamination from industrial precursors from local oil refiners are evaluated. Local water quality information will be analyzed to establish the current state of the lake and river at varying heights. Policy pertaining to consumer and industrial polystyrene waste producers will be explored to identify gaps. Prioritizing natural local resources like the Chicago River and Lake Michigan from plastic contamination will support the health of future generations and strength of ecosystems.

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Microplastics detected in Chicago waterways: From emerging marine contaminant to filtration
While ubiquitous as an anthropogenic freshwater pollutant, microplastics and their oligomers pose a unique challenge to water quality and conventional filtration systems. Plastic production is projected to increase exponentially in the coming years…